Multi-exposure image fusion (MEF) is considered an effective quality enhancement technique widely adopted in consumer electronics, but little work has been dedicated to the perceptual quality ...assessment of multi-exposure fused images. In this paper, we first build an MEF database and carry out a subjective user study to evaluate the quality of images generated by different MEF algorithms. There are several useful findings. First, considerable agreement has been observed among human subjects on the quality of MEF images. Second, no single state-of-the-art MEF algorithm produces the best quality for all test images. Third, the existing objective quality models for general image fusion are very limited in predicting perceived quality of MEF images. Motivated by the lack of appropriate objective models, we propose a novel objective image quality assessment (IQA) algorithm for MEF images based on the principle of the structural similarity approach and a novel measure of patch structural consistency. Our experimental results on the subjective database show that the proposed model well correlates with subjective judgments and significantly outperforms the existing IQA models for general image fusion. Finally, we demonstrate the potential application of the proposed model by automatically tuning the parameters of MEF algorithms. 1
Nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) is a promising electrocatalyst for the 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) and the dehydronated intermediates Ni(OH)O species are proved to be active sites ...for HMFOR. In this study, Ni(OH)2 is modified by platinum to adjust the electronic structure and the current density of HMFOR improves 8.2 times at the Pt/Ni(OH)2 electrode compared with that on Ni(OH)2 electrode. Operando methods reveal that the introduction of Pt optimized the redox property of Ni(OH)2 and accelerate the formation of Ni(OH)O during the catalytic process. Theoretical studies demonstrate that the enhanced Ni(OH)O formation kinetics originates from the reduced dehydrogenation energy of Ni(OH)2. The product analysis and transition state simulation prove that the Pt also reduces adsorption energy of HMF with optimized adsorption behavior as Pt can act as the adsorption site of HMF. Overall, this work here provides a strategy to design an efficient and universal nickel‐based catalyst for HMF electro‐oxidation, which can also be extended to other Ni‐based catalysts such as Ni(HCO3)2 and NiO.
Pt is proven to be an effective accelerator to Ni(OH)2 for catalyzing HMF oxidation reaction. Pt optimizes the surface electronic structure of Ni(OH)2 and accelerates the formation of the active Ni(OH)O species. Besides, it optimizes the adsorption mode of HMF and reduces the adsorption energy.
A photocatalyzed reaction of pyridine N‐oxides with alkenes gives ortho‐alkylated pyridines with cleavage of the carbon–carbon double bond. Benzyl and secondary alkyl groups are incorporated at the ...ortho position of pyridines in one pot.
Leading light: A photocatalyzed reaction of pyridine N‐oxides with alkenes gives ortho‐alkylated pyridines with cleavage of the carbon–carbon double bond. Benzyl and secondary alkyl groups are incorporated at the ortho position of pyridines in one pot.
Intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations (IFPRs) have been exposed to be an appropriate and effective preference representation framework in an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with vagueness and ...hesitancy. This article focuses mainly on obtaining an intuitionistic fuzzy extension of Tanino's multiplicative consistency and deriving an analytic solution of normalized intuitionistic fuzzy weights (NIFWs) from IFPRs as well as checking acceptability of IFPRs. This article first introduces two indices to, respectively, measure hesitancy of intuitionistic fuzzy judgments and hesitancy of IFPRs, and illustrates that any existing multiplicative consistency model of IFPRs is not an actual intuitionistic fuzzy extension of Tanino's multiplicative consistency. A conjunctive-representable cross-ratio uninorm-based functional equation is then developed to define multiplicative consistency of IFPRs and a consistency index is devised to measure the inconsistency degree of an IFPR. This article establishes a representable uninorm-based transformation method for consistent IFPRs and intuitionistic fuzzy weights, and proposes a new framework of NIFWs. Based on the transformation method and the row hesitancy distribution of an IFPR, a logarithmic least square model is constructed and its analytic solution is found by applying the Lagrange multiplier method to its equivalent least square model. This article puts forward a novel acceptability checking method by taking both acceptable consistency and acceptable hesitancy into consideration. A representable uninorm-based fusion method is presented to aggregate local NIFWs into global intuitionistic fuzzy weights and a representable uninorm-based likelihood formula is given and used to compare and rank intuitionistic fuzzy weights in the proposed intuitionistic fuzzy AHP. Six numerical examples including an outstanding Ph.D. student selection problem are provided to illustrate and validate the obtained results.
We introduce a new measure of image similarity called the complex wavelet structural similarity (CW-SSIM) index and show its applicability as a general purpose image similarity index. The key idea ...behind CW-SSIM is that certain image distortions lead to consistent phase changes in the local wavelet coefficients, and that a consistent phase shift of the coefficients does not change the structural content of the image. By conducting four case studies, we have demonstrated the superiority of the CW-SSIM index against other indices (e.g., Dice, Hausdorff distance) commonly used for assessing the similarity of a given pair of images. In addition, we show that the CW-SSIM index has a number of advantages. It is robust to small rotations and translations. It provides useful comparisons even without a preprocessing image registration step, which is essential for other indices. Moreover, it is computationally less expensive.
Selective oxidation to produce target chemicals usually need activation of O2 at high temperature and/or pressure, which have largely restricted its practical operation and application. Here, we put ...forward a radical relay strategy coupling photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation toward efficiently selective conversion of benzyl alcohol (BA) to benzaldehyde (BAD). An illuminated BiVO4 (BVO) photoanode covered with an ultrathin (∼3 nm) hydrothermally synthesized layered double hydroxide (U-LDH) catalyst and graphene (G) exhibited >99% selectivity to BAD (1.2 V vs. RHE). Mechanistic studies and DFT calculation verified that the hydroxyl radicals (·OH) generated from the oxidation of water are bound to the surface of U-LDH through hydrogen-bonding interactions and the energy is lowered. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that BA is adsorbed to the U-LDH catalyst, but BAD is not. Thus, the selectivity is favored not only by the controlled oxidation capacity of ·OH radicals but the desorption of the desired product from the catalyst before further oxidation occurs. This work introduces an alternative PEC way to achieve mild and selective oxidation of BA derivatives based on ternary G@U-LDH@BVO catalysts.
Multiplication and division of fuzzy arithmetic have brought out theoretical drawbacks to fuzzy analytic hierarchy process based decision making systems. To cope with the drawbacks, trapezoidal fuzzy ...additive reciprocal preference matrices (TFARPMs) are utilized to characterize preference information and addition and subtraction of fuzzy arithmetic are applied to fuzzy numbers. This paper introduces formulas to calculate left and right spread indices and imprecision indices of cores and supports for fuzzy elements in a TFARPM. Based on the addition of fuzzy arithmetic, a transitivity equation system with a parameterized trapezoidal fuzzy vector is built and computational formulas are devised to identify values of parameters from imprecision indices of cores and supports of the trapezoidal fuzzy elements in a TFARPM. A fuzzy addition based non-parametric transitivity equation is then established to define additive consistency of TFARPMs. Properties of additively consistent TFARPMs are proposed and an index formula is brought forward to compute additive inconsistency degrees of TFARPMs. A novel approach is presented to generate additively consistent TFARPMs from fuzzy vectors and a new framework is put forward to normalize 0, 1-valued trapezoidal fuzzy vectors. An absolute deviation based minimization model is developed and converted equivalently into a linear program to acquire normalized trapezoidal fuzzy priority vectors from TFARPMs. A closed-form solution of the minimization model is found to calculate normalized optimal trapezoidal fuzzy priority vectors of additively consistent TFARPMs. Two illustrating examples including a multi-criteria decision making problem are provided to validate the proposed models.
Triangular fuzzy preference relations (TFPRs) have long been viewed as an effective framework to express subjective preferences with ambiguity in fuzzy multicriteria decision-making systems. This ...paper focuses on solving two important and challenging issues: First, how to judge the quality of nondiagonal preferences in a TFPR; and second, how to find an analytic solution of optimal fuzzy weights for consistent TFPRs and an analytic solution of heuristic fuzzy weights for inconsistent TFPRs. This paper analyzes two existing normalization models of triangular fuzzy weights and illustrates their deficiency. Notions of normalized triangular fuzzy multiplicative weights (TFMWs) and basic TFMWs are then introduced and used to characterize a group of triangular fuzzy weight vectors with equivalency. This paper proposes transformation models among triangular fuzzy weights, normalized TFMWs and basic TFMWs, and employs basic TFMWs to define consistent TFPRs. Some important properties are presented for the fuzziness of a consistent TFPR and its corresponding basic TFMWs. These properties are subsequently used to develop a two-step approach consisting of three-goal programming (GP) models to find basic TFMWs of consistent TFPRs. By using the Lagrangian multiplier method, this paper finds analytic solutions of the three GP models and obtains optimized basic TFMWs denoted by three computation formulas for consistent TFPRs. By changing the constraints of the three GP models and using heuristics, three concise and visualized formulas are devised, respectively, to obtain the lower and upper support bounds and the modal values of heuristic-based TFMWs for any TFPR. A numerical example comprising of a consistent TFPR and two inconsistent TFPRs is supplied and a comparative study is conducted to show that the two challenging issues are reasonably solved, and a hierarchical fuzzy multicriteria decision-making example is offered to illustrate the applicability of the proposed fuzzy priority model.
This paper proposes linear goal programming models for deriving intuitionistic fuzzy weights from intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations. Novel definitions are put forward to define additive ...consistency and weak transitivity for intuitionistic fuzzy preference relations, followed by a study of their corresponding properties. For any given normalized intuitionistic fuzzy weight vector, a transformation formula is furnished to convert the weights into a consistent intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation. For any intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation, a linear goal programming model is developed to obtain its intuitionistic fuzzy weights by minimizing its deviation from the converted consistent intuitionistic fuzzy preference relation. This approach is then extended to group decision-making situations. Three numerical examples are provided to illustrate the validity and applicability of the proposed models.
New constraints are presented on the spin-dependent weakly-interacting-massive-particle- (WIMP-)nucleon interaction from the PandaX-II experiment, using a data set corresponding to a total exposure ...of 3.3×10^{4} kg day. Assuming a standard axial-vector spin-dependent WIMP interaction with ^{129}Xe and ^{131}Xe nuclei, the most stringent upper limits on WIMP-neutron cross sections for WIMPs with masses above 10 GeV/c^{2} are set in all dark matter direct detection experiments. The minimum upper limit of 4.1×10^{-41} cm^{2} at 90% confidence level is obtained for a WIMP mass of 40 GeV/c^{2}. This represents more than a factor of 2 improvement on the best available limits at this and higher masses. These improved cross-section limits provide more stringent constraints on the effective WIMP-proton and WIMP-neutron couplings.
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